The Kazakhstan dates are flexible at this stage until I can finalise the itinerary and arrange flights.
Kazakhstan is a very large country and the bird life is a crossover between European and Asian birds with many of the birds seen occasionally in the UK as vagrants. It promises to be a very rewarding expedition. Mark Easterbrook has recently visited the country and his report is on the AOS web site.
I have obtained a number of quotations from Almaty and currently from Dr. Svetlana Annenkova, Kazakhstan Bird Tours. She is well known by UK birders and organises tours for some of the commercial tours. The price quoted is based on 10 - 12 people taking part and 1 Euro = 70 pence.
Svetlana's Proposed Itinerary:
Day 1 Fly to Almaty, Transfer via Sorbulak to desert camp for 2 nights.
Day 2 Birding Taukum desert.
Day 3 Drive via Topar lakes, Turanga grove, Muslim cemetery to Almay, overnight in Almaty.
Day 4 Early morning leave for Charyn area. Overnight in local hotel.
Day 5 Birding Charyn area, Transfer to Almaty, overnight Almaty hotel.
Day 6 Early morning drive to Tien-Shan Mountains, overnight at observatory.
Day 7 Birding Tien-Shan Mountains overnight in Almaty.
Day 8 Drive to Alakol birding en-route, overnight in lakeside lodge.
Day 9 Birding Alakol, overnight in lakeside lodge.
Day 10 Birding Alakol area, overnight in lakeside lodge.
Day 11 Drive to Almaty birding en-route, overnight in Almaty.
Day 12 International flight home.
Full itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in Almaty, former capital and still the largest city of Kazakhstan. We drive to Sorbulak, a real paradise for water birds constituting a series of large and small lakes in the desert north-west from Almaty. On an island in the largest lake we can watch a big colony of Dalmatian Pelicans, as well as White Pelican. Most common other birds are Great Cormorant, Great Black-headed Gull, Gull-billed and Caspian Terns, Collared Pratincole, Hoopoe, European Roller, European Bee-eater. Breeding ducks may include Red-crested Pochard, Garganey and Ferruginous Duck whilst passage waders, which can be found, include Terek Sandpipers, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank and Ruff. Other rare vagrants are possible here, on two previous occasions we have even found a Lesser Sandplover. Another speciality bird of the area we will look for will be Shikra and Rose-colored Starling in colony of several thousand birds. Continuing on, we will arrive in the afternoon at our camp in the Taukum Desert, a northern type desert combining clay valleys and sand Barkhans. We will have time to explore the area for migrants and breeding birds in the sparse vegetation and around the artesian wells before dinner. Stay for two nights in camp.
Day 2: Before breakfast we will travel a short distance to watch the amazing display of McQueen's Bustards. After breakfast we drive for about 20-30km into the desert looking for Caspian and Greater Sandplovers. In amongst the myriad of Greater, Lesser Short-toed and Calandra Larks and Isabelline Wheatears we will look for Asian Desert Warbler and the migratory form of House Sparrow known as Bactrian Sparrow. Little Owl of the desert form is another possibility and we may even be lucky enough to find a Eurasian Eagle-owl. At the artesian wells, a variety of migrants can be found including many waders such as Temminck's Stint and Red-necked Phalarope. After lunch, we will drive to a famous petroglyph site where Eastern Rock Nuthatch breeds. En-route, we will encounter many more larks including Bimaculated and if we are lucky, White-winged. Montagu's and Pallid Harrier frequent these semi desert areas whilst both Long-eared and Short-eared Owls breed in roadside trees and bushes. In the late afternoon we will return to the camp for dinner and watch the Black-bellied Sandgrouse coming into drink at the artesian wells with the possibility of Pin-tailed and Pallas's. Passerines including Desert and Mongolian Finches also visit the wells at this time of day.
Day 3: We travel through the Saryesik Atyrau desert en-route back to Almaty. Here we will look for Steppe Grey and Isabelline Shrikes, Brown-necked Raven, Azure Tit, Black-headed and White-crowned Penduline-tit, Desert Wheatear and Syke's & Asian Desert, Caspian Reed and Paddyfield Warblers. At a Turanga grove we will look for White-winged Woodpecker, Eversmann's Dove, Turkestan Tit and Eastern Olivaceous Warbler whilst at a nearby cemetery we will look for Saxaul Sparrow, Rufous-tailed Scrub-robin and the halimodendri form of Lesser Whitethroat. Overnight in Almaty.
Day 4: 200 km east of Almaty is situated one of the most spectacular, famous and popular places in Kazakhstan - the canyons of the Charyn River - red, yellow and black. Here you will enjoy spectacular Asian scenery and can encounter Lammergeier, Egyptian, Himalayan Griffon and Black Vultures, Long-legged Buzzard, Golden Eagle, Saker Falcon, Lesser Kestrel, Black Stork, Chukar, Short-toed, Bimaculated & Horned Larks, Tawny Pipit, Pied & Isabelline Wheatears, Rock & Blue Rock-thrushes, Hume's Whitethroat, Rock Sparrow, White-capped, Grey-necked, Rock & Red-headed Buntings, Hoopoe, European Roller, Lesser Grey Shrike, Demoiselle Crane and Rose-coloured Starling. At a nearby waterhole we will look for Mongolian Finches coming down to drink in the late afternoon and if we are really lucky we may see some of the very local Crimson-winged Finches. At our small local hotel we will be serenaded to sleep by Common Nightingales of hafizi race and European Scops-owls.
Day 5: This morning we drive further towards the Ili River through the desert, where we can find Black-bellied & Pallas's Sandgrouse, Lesser Short-toed Lark and Desert Wheatear. Whilst waiting for Pallas's Sandgrouse coming into drink we may also find other birds including Desert Finch, Rufous Scrub-robin and Isabelline (Daurian) Shrike. On the way back to Almaty we will visit a Pale Martin colony (diluta race of Sand Martin) and look for White-crowned Penduline Tit. Overnight in Almaty.
Extra (or alternative) day. If we stay extra night in this area we have possibility to visit one more interesting site in the mountains near town of Jalanash. It will be day trip where at the edge of spruce forest we will see Grasshopper Warbler, Siberian Stonechat, Grey-headed Goldfinch, Common Rosefinch, Corn Bunting (buturlini race) and Pine Bunting in this small isolated patch of range. Walking into forest we can encounter Oriental Turtle Dove (meena), Mistle Thrush of bonapartei race, Blue-capped Redstart, Red-fronted Serin, Coal Tit of rufipectus race and hopefully Songar Tit.
Day 6-7: It will take us about two hours to transfer to the observatory, situated at the Big Almaty Gorge of the northern Tien Shan Mountains at an altitude of over 2700 metres. Around the observatory in flower-covered alpine meadows and juniper-covered slopes, we will look for Himalayan Rubythroat, Black-throated Accentor, Sulphur-bellied Warbler, White-browed Tit-warbler, Red-mantled Rosefinch and White-winged Grosbeak. Higher up in the mountains above the observatory at an altitude of 3,300 metres, we will look for Lammergeier, Himalayan Griffon-vulture, Himalayan Snowcock, Altai & Brown Accentors, White-winged Redstart, Red-billed & Yellow-billed Chough and Brandt's & Plain Mountain-finches. Lower down around Great Almaty Lake and in the surrounding spruce-covered slopes, we will look for Ruddy Shelduck, Ibisbill, Blue-capped and Eversmann's Redstarts, Greenish & Hume's Warblers, Songar Tit, Spotted Nutcracker and Red-fronted Serin whilst on the streams Brown Dipper and Blue Whistling-thrush can be found. Overnight at observatory.
Days 8-10: Travel to Lake Alakol, a great saline lake situated not far from the Chinese border, north-east from Almaty. It takes a whole day to reach it, driving some 600 km but the magnificent combination of the changing azure-blue surface of the lake, yellow desert with patches of green and flowering vegetation and grand mountains, still covered with snow, are waiting for you. The highlight of birding here is Relict Gull but number of its population is declining, so finding even one can be difficult. Great Black-headed & Caspian Gulls are a lot easier! Nearby in the mountains we can find Himalayan Griffon-vulture, Steppe, Eastern Imperial & Booted Eagles, Saker Falcon, Tawny Pipit and Red-headed, Rock & Meadow Buntings. One morning we will visit a large marsh where Pallid, Montagu's and Marsh Harriers occur side-by-side whilst Richard's Pipit and Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler both reach the westernmost part of their ranges. Common Quail, Oriental Skylark, Black-headed & Citrine Wagtails, Bluethroat, Barred and Blyth's Reed Warblers and Common Rosefinch make up a very interesting avifauna. We will also spend more time birding around the lakeshore where passage waders may include Terek Sandpiper and breeding birds include Collared Pratincole and Kentish Plover and incongruously, Red-necked Grebe and Black-throated Diver. Overnight in lakeside hotel.
Day 11: Drive to Almaty birding en-route, overnight in Almaty.
Extra (or alternative) day birding around Almaty. We visit foothills of Tien Shan Mountains about 35 km west from Almaty. Main target bird is Siberian Meadow Bunting. We also can see Roller, Common Whitethroat (rubicola), Grasshopper Warbler, Common Rosefinch, Red-headed, Rock and Corn Bunting. This place is very good for birds of prey including Lammergeier, Himalayan Griffon and Black Vultures, Golden and Booted Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard and Common Kestrel. Corn Crake and Quail are calling from the fields. Along Kaskelen River we will look for leucogaster race of White-throated Dipper and White-crowned Penduline-tit. Azure Tit is common and lots of butterflies over the meadows.
Day 12: Departing from Almaty
Central Kazakhstan extension - suggested 4 days. We fly to the new capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, situated 1200 km due north of Almaty in an enormous undulating plain of steppe and forest steppe landscapes, combined with many large and small, fresh and salt lakes, called Sary-Arka. Birding highlights here will include the abundant Black & White-winged Larks and the extremely rare Sociable Lapwing. Other birds include Greater Flamingo, White-headed Duck, (Steppe) Merlin, Red-footed Falcon, Marsh Sandpiper, Black-winged Pratincole, Great Black-headed, Slender-billed, Common (heinei race), Steppe & possible Little Gulls, Syke's and Citrine (werae race) Wagtails, Booted, Paddyfield & Savi's Warblers, Twite (kirghizorum race) as well as lots of migrants.
Itinerary for Central Kazakhstan extension can be flexible to have possibility to see all target birds:
Day 1: Midday flight from Almaty to Astana takes about 1.5 hour. From Astana we head for Kurgalgin Nature reserve birding en-route. We will see Red-footed Falcons at a roadside plantation as well as Black Larks, which are numerous along the road together with some White-winged Larks. We stop at marshes, which provide White-winged Terns together with Little Ringed Plover, Black-tailed Godwits, Little Stints, Curlew, Wood and Marsh Sandpipers, Red-necked Phalaropes and Garganey. Other expected birds are: Steppe Buzzard (vulpinus), Black-winged Pratincoles, Steppe, Common and Slender- billed Gulls, Sykes's Yellow Wagtails, Citrine Wagtails, Twite (kirghizorum), Northern Wheatears. In the evening we will bird around our lakeside cottages. Savi's, Paddyfield and Caspian Reed-warblers, Bearded Parrotbill and Bluethroat all can be heard and found in the nearby reedbeds.
Day 2: Early in the morning we walk along reed beds not far from our base, where we look for White-headed Duck and Red-necked Grebe. Then we visit Steppe Merlin (pallidus) nest whose location is known by our local guide. A colony of Black-winged Pratincole is just in 5-10 meters from the road, where you can watch both flying and sitting birds but our main target bird is Sociable Lapwing, which we will hopefully find on the outskirts of Kurgalgin town. Next we will check some bushy area for Paddyfield and Booted Warblers. We also will see Whooper Swans, Greylag Geese, Red-crested Pochards, Tufted Ducks, Common Pochards, Garganey, Great Black-headed Gulls, Caspian Terns, Demoiselle Cranes, Short- eared Owls and Common Reed Buntings.
Day 3: We will visit Tengis Lake for Greater Flamingo as well as for many other water birds already seen before and possibly for some late migrants. If we missed some of our target birds in previous days we try to catch up with them today.
Day 4: Today we fly back from Astana to Almaty in the afternoon. Early in the morning we leave the nature reserve and drive to Astana birding en-route. We can see Pallid and Western Marsh-harriers, Demoiselle Cranes and numbers of Black Larks again along with few White-winged Larks.
Accommodation: In Almaty, we offer a medium standard hotel with en-suite. In the mountains, we offer twin-bedded rooms at an observatory with each block of 3 rooms having a separate shower and WC. In the Charyn Canyons area we offer a basic hotel with just three rooms having en-suite and WC facilities (others can share the showers although there are separate ladies & gentlemen's washrooms/WC's). In the desert we offer a very comfortable camp with two proper beds in each yurt with separate hot shower & WC tents. In Kurgalgin Nature Reserve in Central Kazakhstan we offer twin-bedded and 4-bedded wooden cottages with shower & wooden WC cabins outside.
Weather conditions can be rather variable from really cold with snow in the mountains to hot in the desert and possibly windy and rainy, but mainly sunny and warm.
Main tour price: £1900 including flight based on 2007 prices.
Single supplement would be approx £20 per person per day in all cases but there are only limited numbers available because of the size of hotels and camps.
Central Kazakhstan extension - a supplement of £105 per person per day including park entrance fees. This price excludes
internal flights (Astana is about £190 return from Almaty and we would also have to pay for the guides return flight)
and items of a purely personal nature such as alcoholic drinks, laundry, tips & telephone. Single supplement £20 per
day. Number of rooms in nature reserve is limited; they have 5 rooms with 2 beds and 2 rooms with 4 beds in.
Includes: All accommodation, food, transport, bi-lingual birdguide.
Excludes: Insurance, alcoholic drinks, single room and personal expenses like laundry, tips & telephone.
The following so far have indicated an interest in taking part.
Simon Strickland
Mark Easterbrook
Peregrine Rawlins
Tim Hallchurch
Jan Stokes Carter.
Please email or phone me if you wish to be added to the list. Also I would be interested to hear from anyone who wishes to go the Estonia, probably in late August 2008.
Timothy Hallchurch
Note that I am going to delete email address tim@hallchurch.com due to masses of junk mail and use timothy@hallchurch.com.